Dilute half a chicken stock cube in boiling water (= a glass, 20cl)Roast the chicken breast (or the full chicken ) 30mns with 2 spoons of colza oil.Get rid of the oil and put the chicken breast and the stock in a large stewpan. Add salt and pepper and let it cook slowly for around 30mns.Then add 2 spoons of honey and Rosemary stems. Let it cook until the juice turns into caramel.Then add some balsamic vinegar and butter. Again, cook slowly until the chicken breasts get a rich brown colour.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Mother language

I forgot to tell you why a French woman would start a new blog in English.

The answer is quite simple but I feel I have to explain it. I like my French blog and my French friends online but I cannot find many parenting blogs I like in my own language. This is a shame for me because I love being a mum, a stay-at-home mum with all the ups and downs and I like to share my thoughts, feelings and experience with others about it.Even at the end of the worst days, I know I was made to be a mum as if I have never completely been myself before giving birth. I do not know if it is totally true. However, what I am sure of is that the woman I am know is 100% connected with the child I was. I have the same values now than 30 years ago (let's say 25 because I cannot remember what kind of values I had as a red-bum baby).Since I gave birth, I breathe the air the same way I used to when I was a kid, the trees look as great and friendly as those I used to speek to when I was little, food is fun and colourful, snails do race again and ladybugs are more beautiful than ever, my perfect man today is the best friend I dreamt of when I was 6 or 7, my ideals are as simple as they used to be at that time and felicity is a quotidian ingredient of my new life.Of course, a mum's life is not always bright and lovely. I do not pretend I live under a rainbow every day but what I mean is that I feel my son is the one who gave birth to me again.Do you ever feel the same ?

Sometimes I wonder how I managed to lose my identity between childhood and motherhood...

Mum is a traitor

Since we have decided to conceive another child, I can't help wondering how life will be with Wondy and his sibling.Would Wondy feel left out ? Would he hate me when I won't have time for him because n°2 needs my attention ? Would he be jealous to be left apart everytime a day I will breastfeed the baby ? Would he be sad to see the baby sleeping with mum and dad and not him ?We really want this second child but I feel sometimes like a traitor to my Wondy...

The perfect match

I don't know if the show is still on in other countries but here, in France, Sex and the City is such a success you can watch all 6 seasons every year.Last night, I watched again 2 episodes of season 2. It was a pure delight as usual, my girly TV session of the week. I tried to get my hubby joining me on the couch but he really dislikes this kind of show so I watched it on my own with a huge chocolate fudge ice cream.I had my lot of fun with the girls but I could not help thinking "Why on earth can't they pick the right guys ?" " Are they stupid ? Immature ? Blind ?"I guess that is a typical married-woman question. It seems we keep forgetting we had our share of trouble before meeting HIM. Why ? Is there any magic filter that erases our memories as soon as we put the ring on ? Is this why we lose all compassion for those who have not fulfilled their quest of the perfect match ? I wonder...When I was a teenager, my parents thought I had too many boyfriends. They were really worried about me and asked me thousand times why I was dating so many guys. The answer was I wanted to meet THE charming prince, the guy who will love as much as my dad loved my mum, writing her poems, telling the lady that he wanted her to be part of every adventure of his life... I wanted to meet THAT guy. But I did not tell them, I did not even tell my friends. They would have laughed at me and my parents would have never understood it could be a challenge for some people in this world to meet the perfect match. How could they have anyway ?My dad was my mum's first lover. They got married to each other 5 months after they made acquaintance in a night-club.This only happens to a few. Most of my friends today are still single and looking for the one who will share their life... So next time I will remember to be more indulgent with Carrie and her friends !;-)

Friday, September 01, 2006

Why Not ?

A few weeks ago, my son (Wondyboy) and I were cuddling after our breakfast when he asked me something amazing:

"When another baby in the tummy house ?"

I was so surprised a two-year-old boy could ask such a thing that I stopped and looked at his eyes to make sure he knew what he was talking about. He had a little spark in his eyes, this kind of sparks that makes him look too tricky for his age.

"You really want another baby at home ?""Yes !!!""You want mum and dad to have another baby, you sure ?""Yes ! another baby home and feed him milk from breast."

He looked so delighted that I called his dad and told him. When my husband got home we had a long talk with Wondy about brothers, sisters, other babies. We tried to explain to him a lot of things and even told him that I would be exhausted and have less time for him, that the baby would sleep with mum and dad for a while...

"You won't mind ? I asked

"No, another baby", he repeated.

So guess what ? Now we are trying for a second child. :-)Cross your fingers...

Thirsty Thirties

Hi !My name is Val or Vally Winky or Boo or...I am a stay-at-home mum of a 2-year-old bundle of joy and I have been married for the past three years to the most wonderful hubby on this planet.I live in the French Alps, in a city called Grenoble. It is a nice place, the landscape is amazing but people around are not exactly lovely and if you do not get the chance of being rich or having a car mountainering or skying is not much of an issue.

My husband is a scientist. A biologist. He used to work in a research team of this city years ago but at the end of his contract he did not find another job. He had to stay in this small city because of my university courses and my pregnancy. When the year ended, it was even more difficult to find a job anywhere else because of this year gap without working in the biology sector. Today he works as a driver/delivery man. It is not extatic but it brings food to our plates until he gets the job he deserves. Hopefully we will move away to a brighter future and city one of these days.

I am a former hotel manager who gave up my job to go back to school and get a degree in English studies. On Christmas day 2003 I discovered I was pregnant. So getting a degree and turning into a mum meanwhile was a hell of a challenge but I will never regret nor forget this year ! It was incredible !Next year, my son will go to school. For the moment, I enjoy watching him growing up, I help my husband looking for scientific jobs and try to finish writing a book I have started a year ago about some little girl living in a strange forest...

Two days ago, on August 30th I went on 30. I had a lovely birthday but no time yet to think about my life... what I have done, what I have not done, what have changed, what I have to change, what I have to do, what I want to do, what I am heading up to....